Toy-motor installation.



A. c. GILBERT. TOY MOTOR INSTALLATION.

APPLiCATlON FILED APR. 18. I916.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

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A. C. GILBERT.

TIOY MOTOR INSTALLATION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1a. 1916.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

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ALFRED G. GILBERT, OF NEIV HAVEN, GQNNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB, TO THE A. C. GILBERT COMPANY, OF NEW HAVEN. CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TOY-MOTOR INSTALLATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1.917.

Application filed April 18, 1916. Serial No. 91,977.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALrnnn C. GILBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy-Motor Installaof toy building sets.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a toy electric motor and a gear box, which may be used in con-.

junction or separately. lVhere it is desired to drive the model directly from the motor shaft without any change of speed, the motor is mounted in the usual manner, but if a change of speed is desired, a gear box may be very readily and conveniently secured to the motor. Furthermore, the motor is provided with a removable base, and the gear box is adapted to be applied not only to the motor frame but to the base so that the gear box can be used with the motor and base or with either of said parts alone, irrespective of whether or not the motor is mounted on the motor base. Byiny invention, the parts can be assembled'in many different ways as called for by conditions.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gear box embodying my'invention, showing a toy electrio motor mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the gear box and motor shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as applied in an upright position to the detachable motor base;

Fig. at is a section on line H of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the base; and

Fig. (3 is an elevation of one of the side plates of the motor.

Referring to the drawing, A denotes a toy electric motor, B denotes a gear box, and (J denotes a detachable base for the motor, which base is, in the present instance, provided with a motor reversing switch D. The motor A is of more or less customary form, and it is unnecessary to describe the details thereof except-to say that it is provided with side plates 10 between which the various parts are mounted, said side plates provided at the corners of the motor with lateral outstanding lugs 11. Usually the side frames of the motor are made of sheet metal, and the lugs 11 are bent outward therefrom. In the particular form shown, the motor shaft is journaled in openings 12 of the side plates, one of which openings is shown in Fig. 6, and on one side plate four binding posts 13 are mounted at the lower part of the motor for the purpose of making the necessary electrical connections.

In order to provide for driving a toy model at an increased or decreased speed relatively to the motor shaft, the gear box B is provided, which is adapted to carry a plurality of intermeshing gears. This gear box B comprises two main side plates 1%, adapted to be removably secured to the motor on opposite sides thereof. In the form shown, the side plates of the gear box are adapted to be held in position against the outside faces of the respective side plates of the motor by means of screws 15, which pass through perforations in the lugs 11 of the motor frame, and through perforations 15 in a lateral flange 16 at the end of the corresponding side plate of the gear box, said screws or bolts 15 being provided with nuts 17. In the particular form shown, each gear box plate is made of sheet metal, and a flange 16 is bent up at one end thereof so as to extend outward from the motor frame parallel and in close proximity to the lugs at that side of the motor frame, said plate being slightly wider than the motor. At the side edges of the gear box, each of its plates is provided with a lateral outturned flange 18, and these flanges 18 are provided with a plurality of perforations 19 so that the gear box can be secured to various parts, in various adjustments, by the use of suitable connecting screws or bolts similar to the screws or bolts 15. As viewed in Fig. 3, the gear box is considerably deeper than the motor, and provided at points above the motor with a plurality of shaft openings 20. Each side plate 14' is provided with a plurality of there perforations or openings 20, and the perfo rations of the 'two plates are in line with each other so that gearing shafts may be set in saidperforations. I In the particular form shown,'the motor shaft 21 has applied thereto at one end a pinion 22, which extends out from one of the side plates 14, through an opening 23, and said pinion meshes with a gear 2e detachably secured to one end of a shaft 25 having bearings in certain of the registering perforations 20. The pinion and gear 24 are located at one side of the gear box substantially within the space between the side fianges 18. At the opposite side of the gear box, a pinion'24t is detachably secured tothe opposite end of the shaft 25. Fr'omthe pinion 24 may be driven another shaft engaging other perforations :20, but this arrangement of the gears for reducing or increasing the speed is not new in itself, and I will not describe it further.

Each of the side plates is provided with an opening 23 through which the motor shaft is adapted to pass, and each plate is also provided with an aperture 26 adapted to clear the binding posts 13. In other words, both-side plates of the gear box are preferably identical so that they are inter changeable.

It will be seen, therefore, that by the described construction, the side plates of the gear box may be very readily applied to the motor without changing the motor in any way, and that when so applied to the motor, the necessary gear ratio may be obtained by mounting the necessary shafts and gears in thegear box as described. When, however, it is desired to use the motor independently of the gear box, the parts constituting the latter may be very readily and conveniently removed.

In some cases, it is desirable to mount the motor A on the base 13, particularly when a reversing motor is desired, in which case the motor parts are adapted to be connected by suitable wiring with the reversing switch D in the base. Thereversing switch mechanism is described in my co-pending application Serial No. 91,976, and its particular construction is not material to the present 6 invention; but it is important to note that the switch is mounted on a plate 27 of insulating fiber or the like, which is adapted to be secured in .an openin 28 in the top of the base C by means of screws or bolts 15 similar to those previously described. The plate 27 is adapted to be clamped against the under surface of the top portion of the base around the margin of the opening 28. The base is preferably formed from a single sheet metal blank bent into cup shape, said base being open at the bottom, and the switch mechanism being confined within the hollow under portion thereof.

As shown in Fig. 5,-the base (I is detached from the motor, and the plate 27 carrying the reversing switch (or a rheostat or the like) is secured in place by screws 15 with their nicked heads uppermost, the plate being clamped against the top part of the base by nuts on the lower ends of the screws. Supposing, now, that it is desired to attach both the motor and the gear box to the base C, the screws are removed from the base, the motor is placed on the base with the perforations of its lugs 11 in registry with the screw openings of the base plate, and the screw openings of the insulating plate, and the gear box plates are then placed on opposite sides of the motor, with the perforations 15 in registry with the aforesaid openings, after which the screws are passed through the registering openings and the nuts applied for clamping all of the parts together, as shown in Fig. 4. In other 100 words, one screw performs the function of interconnecting the motor, a gear box side plate, the base proper, and the insulating plate carrying the switch or the like for controlling the motor. By this arrangement, a minimum number of fastening devices is necessitated, and the parts are all securelv held together, although they mav be individually detached when desired. U

One of the main features of my improve- 1 ments consists in the fact that the. gear box can be used with or independently of the motor, inasmuch as the side plates of the gear box are independent of the side plates of the motor, but adapted to be attached thereto in the manner described. The gear box can also be applied to the-base, which in turn can also be used with or independently of the motor.

It will be obvious that in some cases the gear box can be used quite independently of the motor in building toy models.

I do not claim herein the specific construction of the motor base or the manner in which said base may be combined with the motor, as claimed in my application, Serial No. 91,976, above mentioned.

Various changes in the details of the construction may be adopted Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

l Vhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a toy motor having side plates and a shaft journaled in said side plates, of gear box side plates detachably applied to the respective motor side plates outside of the latter plates, a shaft journaled in said gear box side plates, and means for driving said shaft from the motor shaft; substantially as described.

2. The combination with a toy motor having side plates, of a gear box having side members detachably applied to the respective side plates outside of said plates; substantially as described.

3. The combination with a toy electric motor having side plates, of a gear box having separate side-plates applied to the respective side plates of the motor; substantially as described.

a. The combination with a toy electric motor having side plates, of a pair of plates detachably applied to the outside of the motor side plates, said pair of plates of greater height than the motor and having a plurality of shaft bearings therein; substantially as described.

5. The combination with a toy motor having outstanding base lugs, of a gear box resting on and detachably connected with said base lugs; substantially as described.

6. The combination with a toy electric motor having a side plate with a laterally extending perforated portion, of a gear box having a plate with a laterally extending perforated portion detachably secured to the perforated portion of the motor side plate; substantially as described.

7. The combination with a toy motor having perforated lugs at the corners thereof, of gear box plates having perforated flanges, and means for securing said flanges to said lugs; substantially as described.

8. The combination with a toy electric motor, comprising side plates, and a shaft journaled in said side plates, of a gear box detachably applied to the side plates of said motor, said gear box having an opening through which said motor shaft extends; substantially as described.

9. The combination with a toy motor having perforated lugs at the base portion thereof, of a plate having an outstanding flange adapted to lie against the upper surfaces of said lugs, and perforations in said flange to register with the perforations of said lugs, and fastening members to secure the parts together by passing through said perforations, said plate having an opening for the motor shaft and provided with out standing flanges along the side edges thereof; substantially as described.

10. The combination of a motor, a separate motor base, gear box side plates, and detachable fastening members for securing all of said parts together in assembled relation; substantially as described.

11. The combination of a motor, a separate motor base, the base having a separate plate or insert adapted to carry a switch or the like, gear box side members, and means for securing all of the parts detachably together in assembled relation; substantially as described.

12. The combination of a motor, a transmission device, a base separate from said motor and transmission device and adapted to support both of the same, and a single device for detachably interconnecting all of said parts; substantially as described.

13. The combination of a gear box, a motor, a base, and a fastening member passing through all of said parts for securing them detachably together; substantially as described.

14. The combination of a gear box, a motor, a base, a separate plate in the base, and a fastening screw passing through the gear box, motor, plate and base for detachably securing said parts together; substantially as described.

15. The combination of a base, a motor resting on said base, a gear box resting on the motor, all of said parts physically separate from each other, and means for holding said parts detachably in assembled relation; substantially as described.

16. As an article of manufacture, a gear box side plate having outturned side flanges 18, an outturned end flange 16 with perforations therein, a plurality of shaft bearings and one or more apertures to clear a part or parts of a motor to which said plate is applied; substantially as described.

17. The combination of a pair of elongated perforated plates having perforated flanges along their ends and a motor interposed between said plates, and detachably connected with said flanges; substantially as described.

18. The combination of elongated perforated plates each having a flange along at least one side and another flange across at least one end, and a base detachably connected with the end flanges of said plates; substantially as described.

19. The combination with a toy motor, of transmission mechanism including separate side plates detachably secured to said motor; substantially as described.

20. The combination, with a toy electric motor having an outstanding base, of transmission mechanism, including flanged side plates detachably connected with said base; substantially as described.

21. The combination, with a toy electric motor having'an outstanding base, of a gear box comprising side "plates having'flanges at their lower parts, means for detachably securing said flanges to said motor base, a shaft journaled in said side plates, and means for connecting said shaft with the motor shaft; substantially as described.

The combination, with a toy electric motor having an outstanding base and a mo tor shaft, of transmission mechanism detachably associated with said motor and including side plates set 011 and detachably connected with said outstanding base, said plates having perforations therein, a shaft journaled in certain of said perforations, and means for driving said shaft from the motor shaft; substantially as described.

23. The combination, with a toy electric motor having an outstandingbase and a motor shaft, of side plates having flanged lower ends. screws for detachably securing the flanges of said plates to the motor base with the plates in parallelism, a shaft jourang 152 naled in said :plates and located adjacent to the motor shaft, and gearingbetween said last named shaft and said motorshaft;'substantially as described.

24. In a toy motor installatiom'the combination of a perforated basaa toy motor having perforated flanges detachably secured to said base,a gear box comprising side members detachably secured to said base, a shaft journaled in said side members, and'a driving connection between said shaft and said motor; substantially as described.

25. In a toy, a perforated base plate, a gear box comprising side members with flanged lower ends having perforations adapted to register with the perforations of the base, screw bolts for detachably connecting the gear box with the base, and a gear-shaftdetachably journaled in said sidemembers; substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on the 13th day of April, 1916.

ALFRED "G. GILBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by'addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Wa'shingtom-D. C. 

